101st Airborne Helmet Markings [Explained] 

502nd INF vet here, wanted to add that prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion the 101st brought back the tradition of helmet markings. One unit not with the division in WW2 was the 187th Infantry (they jumped in the Pacific), but they adopted a Torii (Japanese temple) as their insignia.

Except from Sgt. Eugene Smith's memoir, June 6th, 1944: "After landing, I pulled together a mixed unit from the troopers I could find around the open French field, which was represented by our eclectic helmet markings. I saw two other hearts from my 502nd, but we were joined by three privates sporting diamond-marked helmets from the 501st, an aptly-characterized-square designating the unarmed and nervous clerk from Headquarters, and the strange sight of a PFC with a lyre insignia. I was somewhat suspicious about the large case he insisted on dragging along, but, by God, he showed his worth when we ran into an unsuspecting German patrol. The sudden explosion of Tchaikovsky coming from a tuba on their flank drove the Krauts right into our gunline. From that point onward, I vowed to never go into combat without support from a brass section."

I'd noticed those helmet markings before, but I did not know of their significance or history. I learned something new today. THANKS!

I want to add to this video about the markings on the back of the helmets. I figured out the other day that NCOs had a horizontal white bar on the back, while commissioned officers had a vertical one. I felt prompted to share because you are absolutely spot on that organization on the group was crucial. So awesome to learn the history behind things like this, and that markings were added for far more than just decoration!!

If you’re interested in the story of a unit rather than insignia and organization, I highly recommend the US WWII 442nd RCT. Highest decorated unit in the US by size. Amazing backstory and a motto of “go for broke”

I am one of the 1-502nd INF "BLACKHEARTS" ('97-'05) that hopefully followed in the Bootprints of these HEROES !!! THANK YOU, SCREAMING EAGLES, for doing what you did, so that I could follow in your historical footprints in our Rendezvous with Destiny !!! First Strike !!! Airborne !!! All The Way !!! Thank you for sharing this !!!

My late father-in-law was in the 101st Airborne in WW2. Sadly, my husband (his son) was never able to learn which regiment he was with. All we know is that Harold Craig used to say he had "jumped from a perfectly good airplane" on D-Day into Normandy. I miss that man. He was a true gentleman, and a wonderful father-in-law and grandfather.

If you have an original, and and the markings looks like a dirty very pale green, do not clean them with chlorine or bleach based cleaners. One collector did so and the markings turned red. Apparently Gas reacting paint was used in at least some of these helmet markings. It was an early warning system to indicate a gas attack.

My wife’s grandfather was Captain Fred Hancock who commanded Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 502 PIR, 101st Airborne. They named a park in Carenten after him for his actions during that action. He received the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart there as well.

Really damn proud I wore the Black Hearts of the five-oh-deuce (502) for 10 years.

0:50 their gear looks so cool

I was stationed with 3-187 IN a few years back when I was assigned to 101st. Probably my favorite group to be with.

During WW1, the French were the first to use playing cards on their FT tanks. I am not aware of any other usage by other militaries beforehand.

Using play card suits reminds me of the French and their armored units which painted them on their tanks to identify what tank belonged to what unit.

The playing cards markings were to identify the paratroopers’ regiment upon landing in the early dark hours. Vertical tabs, at 12, 3, 6, 9 of the clock, were added to identify each battalion. The 187th RCT in Korea made two combat jumps using helmet markings for battalion identification.

Love these types of infographic history vids.Can't wait to see where else in history you go (Napoleonic, WWI, Cold War etc.)

Great video! earned yourself a sub! The map of where the units landed was really interesting, didn't realise how far out some of the drops were.

TC Thank you for this. Very well done, both commentary and production. Really liked the landing zone maps and actual landing site layover. Never seen this before.

Video idea: evolution of the military phonetic alphabet. I fan find the WW2 era stuff but before that is a black hole

Outstanding video post!❤️❤️ Thanks for the educational and entertaining explanation of how the famed 101st helmet markings worked. Best of luck 🍀👍🏼

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You got me in the beginning with the Medal of Honor music. Good memories.

Thank you, Brendan, your superb presentation will really enhance all my future looks at any 101st ABN Division photos or documentary footage. A+

Interesting point in the history of this practice within the US military, it started in the Civil War. Gen Hooker instituted a policy of using symbols to break each of a Corps 3 divisions into a type of simple shape, and then a color based in its division number. Symbols were adopted for a single form distinctness similar to the use of card suites by the 101. It was one of the only things Hooker did right during his tenure as commander as shortly thereafter he lead it during Chancellorsville.

This is a great illustration of unit markings and unit roles. I have an uncle that was assigned to B Anti-Tank Battery, of the 81st AAA BN, of the 101st. Thanks for sharing this great info.

damn that medal of honor theme song just makes u feel stuf.. just brings back memories dude

Hyped for this!

Good explanation of designations, very helpful in understanding deployments during D-day.

Can you do the helmet insignias of the 82nd? I’ve been trying to research them for years but the info is so fragmented and sometimes contradictory that it’s maddening.

Very informative as always.

1:22 the medal of honor: allied assault menu screen song made me feel nostalgic.

Very nice, Battle Order! Keep em comin!

Having spent time in 101st and 82nd....82nd has a lot to brag about, BUT 101st made history....They still wear those patches to this day....82nd has so many various helmet patches it can not be tracked if anyone wants to know...It has changed so much....101st still has pretty much the same since WWII...

Im always so surprised youre only at 40k something subscribers because these videos are consistently so well done

Strangely enough, elements of the 3rd Infantry Division also used playing card suits in 1944 before Operation Shingle. Only their markings were used to differentiate between battalions instead of regiments, and the markings were placed on the back of the helmet instead of the side. Makes me wonder how far back suits have been used for identification in the Army, or if it had just started in WWII.

Love these detailed history military videos.

Outstanding video about US parachute regiments, markings and planned (plus actual) deployment on D Day. Thank you!

Ah Yes what make me happy is medal of honor vanguard theme on the background

The 801st Airborne Ordinance Company had callsign "Kildare" as in County Kildare Ireland where I am at this very moment. Definitely some Irish-American Officer had that idea.

Great video, thanks and also I love the Medal of Honor soundtrack in the back, nice touch.

Wow. I learned some thing new! Thanks for the icon brake down. The cool new thing I learned. Some of the division landed in Higgins boats. I never new that.

Cannot tell you how much I enjoy and appreciate videos like this.

Just found your excellent video by chance. Nicely done sir!! Airborne All The Way!

You should do a video on the Commando concept and how it lead to many modern special forces around the world. Good video btw.

It's amazing! Great video 👍🏻

Bro! I love your vids!

A greatly researched subject. Well done.

Great video! Love the Medal of Honor theme music in the background !

Glider Field Artillery Batallion? Sounds wicked. Would love to see videos on the different WW2 Airborne suborganizations! Love your videos!

finding silly callsigns for units has to be the funniest job in time of war ^^Just thinking about the hq officer who spent his day going through the dictionnary to look for them hahaha

Tasty good stuff !! Would love an explanation of where 81st & 101st were supposed to land (and why) and where they did (and how they did). Good start though. Many t(h)anx!!

Amazing great work guys... Wish u all the best!!!

They probably got the playing card design from their use as Corps insignia in the Union Army during the Civil war. The "clubs" was the insignia of the 2nd Corp, the "diamond" was the 3rd Corp and the "heart" was the 24th Corp.

You mention the 321st Glider FA, 907th Glider FA, and the 377th Parachute FA battalions; I could be mistaken but I believe that the field artillery is always referred to as a battery rather than a battalion.

Woah this is in depth and I love it

Mate. I’ve been here since you had

I was with 377 FA before they deactivated around 2013, I believe 2-377FA is active out of AK

Love it Division Band markings at 5:23 I was in Division Band for the 25th and 1st Cav.

Wow, really cool. I was with the 3/506 in 'Nam.

Now i know those helmet markings in the WWII thank you for this video.

Good shot of MG McCauliffe (101st Division Artillery Commander) there displaying the Ball (Artillery) and the Top tick mark (Denoting HQ) at 1:25, They are also missing the 320th FA Glider Regiment.

These markings go back at least as far as the Civil War. The Union Army used them to denote different corps. They didn’t wear helmets of course, but they were sewn onto caps.

Informative. Thanks for the Gen.

*i was 2nd plt "Black Sheep", C co "Hard Core Charlie" 3rd bn "Battle Force'/327th inf (aaslt) fron November 1984 to January 1986 as "Elite Eagle"* - 1:53 am Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, 24 January 2021

Good vid very informative

I've yet to narrate my own videos, so I suspect that they will definitely be filled with all types of errors. So, I'm not saying this with malice or bully intent, but hoping that you can use it as a way to feel better about your commentary. You have a nice timbre to your voice, that is until you try to be heard. Believe you me, you are heard and the high tones are not needed even once. Well, not that I can see anyway. Your drop off at the end of each phrase was such a nice relief from listening, I wish it was all in the same tone. Just a suggestion. You're doing better than most, keep going!

Cool info. My son was in 2-506 Charlie Co, 101st. Currahee, deployed to FOB Kushmond in Afghanastan. Now he serves with a mechanized infantry unit of the National Guard.

3:42 I checked the helmet markings in Band of Brother and they got it right!

At One minute and 29 seconds 1:29, the soldier holding the helmet with the Club/ clover leaf, is Ed Pieczatowski of the 367th glider infantry, after the war he started a business (Brookpark Plating) in Cleveland Ohio, at 12208 Sprecher ave., it is gone now, I knew Him growing up, he had 2 bullets go thru his helmet, one after D-day, and one during the Battle of the Bulge, he was a really good guy, he passed away in 1987 , he was born in 1912,

if there anything like this for the Canadian military please do a video! no idea how i found this channel but hello from London Ontario Canada!

Yep tick marks made it happen. In the 1990’s we used chem lights swing around on a string. 82nd Airborne also used face paint camo markings that are classified…

An interesting thing to note is that the 502nd did not wear a tic mark designation on their helmets on DDay. The way they distinguished battalions was by a white cloth worn on different areas of the body.

The Americans learned quickly to disguise any visible markings especially senior rank. The film The Longest Day has Henry Fonda as a general on Omaha beach with the three stars on his helmet which wouldn’t have happened.

Thanks you for remembering the 326 AB Engineers. More often than not they are ignored and forgotten. My father was part C co. of the 326 and fought with the 501 and 506 at drop zone D. You will no mention of them in most accounts.

Outstanding information. Long history with the markings as to units assigned. 2l502 D Co. vet here. Strike...

Fantastic presentation.

Thank you. Educativo.

Well done! Thanks!

The musical instrument "lyre" is pronounced to rhyme with "liar".

Nice video. Was always wondering, just been to lazy to look into it

My older brother was in 2nd battalion 502 infatry regiment Bravo company of the 101st airborne division out of Fort Campbell, they wore black hearts on their helmets

The 101st continued to use these markings in Vietnam. However the battalions were differentiated by the color of the symbol. Red was for the 1st Battalion, White was for the 2nd Battalion and Black for the 3rd Battalion.(3/506th 'Nomads'). The 3rd/187th's symbol was a Blue Japanese arch from its service in the 11th Airborne Division in Japan. The support elements also had symbols which weren't put on helmets, just vehicles and aircraft (where appropriate).

I was at Arlington so many moons ago. The monument to the 101st is right there. A huge black eagle, it's wings spread skyward & it's perched up a marble pedestal about 20 feet high. You can see this beauty from quite a ways off. The units battle honors engraved on the marble base. Not far away is JFKs grave & the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Solemn. Honorable. Heart pumping place.

Excellent vid!

General McAuliffe helmet during Bastogne was a big circle with a line coming out the top at 12 o'clock :)

I was in the 506th and had no idea where our spade came from ... thank you for this 🙏

Excellent! Top marks. Consider submitting this for an Emmy. Just slow down the VO a tiny bit.

I like the Medal of Honor them music in the background.

Hey! Great video! I was wondering, you mentioned a lot of the paratroopers where scattered while jumping. How did they maintain unit cohesion? Did they just fight with the men around them till they joined their own unit?

Great job! Thank you...

I'd rather say that the ticks system for the parachute infantry of the 101st was applied after Normandy. On D-Day Five-o-Deuce didn't use any battalion information on their helmet markings, it could only be recognized by size and design of hearts, which was different for different battalions (but there were antoher methods, for example white cloth on the arm for 2nd battalion). 501st and 506th used mostly dots, not dashes in Normandy. It is true that incorrect application of 1st & 3rd of 506th was corrected after Normandy, but the problem was also solved temporarily before the D-Day, by adding a dot in front and in the rear of the 3rd battalion's helmets. We can also see that some of the units didn't applied the markings on their helmets for this operation. Symbols' system was working correct rather for Transfigure/Market-Garden than Overlord. It is worth to notice, that 101st was not the only airborne unit using helmet markings, and was not even the first. Markings was used earlier in Italy, 504th started to apply it during Volturno Valley battle (it was not common), and 509th had their own system, based upon colour of the gingerbread man on their helmets, used in Italy and France. 551st commonly used a palm marking. In 82nd markings was rather uncommon, but we can see some examples from Normandy and later operations.

Omg is that MEDAL OF HONOR ALLIED ASSULTS MAIN THEME SONG? I listened to the main menu more than I played the game as a kid. Would make me tear up

great video!!! do you know how these were applied, were they sprayed on ,were they a decal or hand painted?

Excellent !!

Damn... No Rakkasans, understandable considering the unit that became third brigade was in the Pacific. Love these vids!

Hey thanks for the vid, great workout👍🇺🇸

any chance of making a video on the helmet markings on of the 82nd airborne

Great vid thanks! Was wondering where you got that map to show the accuracy of the drops at the end?

Go Easy Company. 506, all the way.

I was with 3/327th infantry as an 11B during OIF 1. Served as a door gunner and later after being released to my infantry unit, my Company Delta 3/327 took out Audi’s and Qusay. They let me keep my helmet insignia when I got out.